Concrete mixer



R. E. HELTZEL CONCRETE MIXER May 2, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 23,1966 INVENTOR Robert E. Heltzel ATTORNEYS 4 M MM R. E. HELTZEL CONCRETEMIXER May 2, 1967 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 23, 1966 INVENTOR RobertE. Heltzel 101mm g ATTORNEYS R. E. HELTZEL CONCRETE MIXER May 2, 1967 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 23, 1966 United States Patent 3,317,194CONCRETE MIXER Robert E. Heltzel, 6922 Mines Road, Warren, Ohio 44484Filed June 23, 1966, Ser. No. 559,808 9 Claims. (Cl. 259-161) Thepresent invention relates to concrete mixer and has for an object toprovide, in conjunction with a mobile read-mix batching plant, aconcrete mixer of a construction and mode of operation adapting itparticularly for use in conjunction with such plant and its batchers. Tothis end the concrete mixer of this invention is constructed for compactcollapse on a mobile platform or frame which may be a chassis of avehicle subject to being hitched to a tractor or the like forover-the-highway move ment to the side of building operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a concrete mixing unitinvolving a rotary mixing drum having support from the mobile frame bywhich it may execute the movements of rising, moving forward and.finally tilting to discharge the load into trucks or other vehicles bywhich the concrete may be shifted locally to the site of operations. I

A further object of the invention is to achieve these purposes byrelatively simple rugged constructions adapted for swift, easy controland operations, all well adapted to conventional construction of thedrum, its drive mechanism and the conventional operations of chargingand discharging the drum.

A further object of the invention is to reduce time operations ofbringing to the site any necessary quantity of mixed material in theshortest possible time period.

A still further object of the invention is to arrange coordinatebatching plants and concrete mixers to substantially shorten set-up timeand to admit of rapid supply operations on short notice.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claimsappended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout theseveral views:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a mobile readymix batching plantin a set-up position for use at the site of road or other buildingoperation, and illustrating in conjunction therewith a concrete mixerconstructed in accordance with the invention in a jacked or blocked upposition ready to receive the mix from the batching plants andillustrating in dotted lines a discharge position of the mixing drum.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the mixer shown in acollapsed position on a mobile frame with an attachment to a tractor orthe like for over-thehighway transportation from site to site.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view, with parts broken away and partsshown in section, showing the blocked up position of the mixer frame andthe mixer in an elevated position.

FIGURE .4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing the cradle and itsmixing drum tilted to the discharge position.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing a form of construction of thebase mobile frame, the intermediate lift frame and the cradle or tiltframe apart from the mixing drum.

Referring more particularly to the drawings in FIG- URE l A shows amobile ready-mix batching plant susceptible of over-the-highwaytransportation and which is adapted to be installed at or near the siteof concrete operations such as road building, and such apparatusinordinances relative to lateral 33 pivoted at their lower ends 34,

eludes batchers 10 delivering batched materials through a chute 11 to acharging spout 12 for charging concrete mixers of various typesincluding the mixing apparatus of the present invention.

Referring to FIGURE 4 the mixer of the invention comprises generally arotary mixing drum B mounted for rotation in a cradle C which ispivotally carried by an intermediate frame D from a base frame E.

The drum B has a charging end 13 and a discharging end 14 and willpreferably have a rear frusto-conical end portion 15 sloping to thecharging end 13 and a forward frusto-conical end portion 16 sloping tothe discharge opening 14.

The cradle C will contain the usual rollers for supporting the drum Bfor rotary motion on the circular tracks 17 and 18 which are secured tothe frusto-conica1 rear and forward portions 15 and 16 so as to maintainall parts of the equipment within perimeter lines not greater than theperimeter of the central cylindrical body portion of the drum in orderto comply with state and municipal projections from highway travelingvehicles.

The drum B may be rotated by suitable motors 19 of any usual type whichare supported from forwardly projecting structural members 20 of thecradle C. 7 These members 20 of the cradle carry trunnions or pivots 21for rotatably supporting the drum at a forward portion for angularmovement for the purpose of discharge.

The trunnions 21 are mounted in horns or brackets 22 projecting upwardlyand forwardly from a forward portion of the intermediate frame D.

To rearwardly projecting structural members 23 on the rear portion ofthe cradle C are pivoted, as indicated at 24, the plunger or pistonelements 25 of hydraulic rams, the cylinders of which are indicated at26 as being pivoted as indicated at 27 to rear portions of theintermediate frame D. The rams 25 and 26 are operative to rotate thedrum B about the axis provided by the pivots 21 from the position ofFIGURE 3 to that of FIGURE 4 and return.

A second set of hydraulic rams identified by the plungers or pistons 28and the cylinders 29 are provided to raise and lower the intermediateframe D relatively to the base frame E. The movable portions 28 of therams are pivoted at 30 to a forward portion of the intermediate frame Dand the cylinders 29 or static parts of these rams are pivoted at 31 tothe base frame E at relative positions which will permit the rams toassume diagonal attitudes sloping forwardly and upwardly from anintermediate portion of the base frame E to a front portion of theintermediate frame D when the rams are in the distended position withthe intermediate frame D elevated as in FIGURE 4.

The base and intermediate frames E and D are connected together by pairsof front and rear links 32 and 35 to the base frame E and at their upperends 36, 37 to the intermediate frame D.

As shown in FIGURE 5 the links form parallelogram linkages at oppositesides of the frame of the device and the links 32 and 33 are arranged tocross the rams 28, 29 so that such links 32, 33 fold down rearwardlywhile the rams 28, 29 are folded down forwardly.

The base frame E, carrying the mixer unit, will preferably be equippedwith suitable supporting wheels 38 and v 39 for overthe-highway travelto and from the site.

As shown in FIGURE 2 the forward end of the frame E will be connected toa draw bar 40, turntable or other draft device, by which the mixer canbe coupled up to a tractor or other towing unit for movement from siteto site. The draft member 40 can conveniently be detached when the mixerunit is in operative position, as shown in FIGURE 1, which will provideample clearance in front of this unit into which transit mixers or otherconveyances may be backed up in a favorable position to receive the loadof mixed concrete from the drum.

When in the position of FIGURE 1, the mobile frame E will preferably bejacked up with the wheels 33 and 39 elevated above the ground, as forinstance on the blocks 41.

Referring more particularly to FIGURE 5, the base frame E may be madefrom suitable structural units, for instance the side beams 42 and 43which are illustrated to be of I-beam form while appropriate cross beams44 are supplied, welded or otherwise connected to the longitudinalrunners or beams 42 and 43.

The intermediate frame D may be constructed in similar manner withlongitudinal beams 45 and 46 with cross beams 47 appropriately spacedapart. Front end cross beams 48 are provided with suitable pairs ofperforated ears 49 to pivotally receive the pivot pins 30 which connectthe ram members 28 to the intermediate frame D.

The cradle C is omitted for clearness in FIGURE which shows the doubleconstruction of the brackets 22 and also shows pads 50 and 51 on therear upper corner portions of the intermediate frame D on which the rearportion of the cradle C is adapted to rest in the positions of FIGURES 2and 3, when the plunger members 25 are telescoped together and into theram cylinders 26.

The material and substantial parts of the invention lie in a mobileunit, usually in the form of a wheeled trailer, for detachableconnection to a tractor of some kind for over-the-highway transportionto the site of concrete laying operations in which a conventional orother mixing drum is supported for the usual rotary mixing motion in acradle, which cradle in turn is mounted pivotally for dumping ordischarge in an intermediate elevatable frame deriving its support froma main frame which may be the chassis of the vehicle.

The mode of operation is to hitch a truck or tractor to the unitinvolving a fifth wheel or some other detachable connection between thetractor and the mixing unit, by which the mixing unit is transportedover the highway to the site of operations. When such site is reachedthe unit is detached from the tractor and blocked in a position with itswheels elevated so that it During this over-the-highway movement theparts will be in the collapsed position of FIGURE 2 with theintermediate frame D resting upon the base frame E and the cradle C andits drum B supported directly from the intermediate frame D. Whenassembling the device to the batcher, the mobile mixer unit will bebacked into position partially at least beneath the batching units It)and with its receiving end opening into close juxtaposition with thecharging spout 12.

In FIGURE 3 the frusto-conical end of the drum B is projecteddownwardly, partially broken away and partially shown in section, sothat its receiving opening in the lowermost position will be accuratelyfitted to the open end of the open end of the charging spout 12.

The charge receiving opening 52 of the drum B may be slightly greater indiameter than the diameter of the charging spout 12 so that, if desired,when the drum descends from the position of FIGURE 3 to its lowermostposition the receiving opening 52 may settle in at least slightoverlapping relation with the outermost edge portion of the chargingspout 12. This is permissible by reason of the linkage 32 and 33 whichcompels forward movement of the drum incident to its ascending motion.The distance between the centers 34 and 35 is equal substantially to thedistances between the centers 36 and 37. The words forward and rearwardare used as a mere convenience as applying to the forward and rear endsof the mobile base frame B so as to identify the charging anddischarging ends of the drum B. These words is then immobilized.

forward and rearward have no function or constructional significancewith respect to the invention.

During transportation and setting up at the site of operations, theparts will be in the position of FIGURE 2 with the axis of the mixingdrum B substantially horizontal, or in other words in a mixing attitude.

The action of the linkage 32. and 33 in conjunction with the frames Eand D is to not only elevate the mixing drum B but to shift it forwardlynot only away from the receiving spout but also to a position where itsdischarge end will be clear of the frames D and E and above an openspace into which receiving vehicles may enter so that when the hopper Bis pivotally moved by the rams 25, 26 the receiving trucks will beimmediately beneath the discharge end 14 of the drum, which dischargeopening may be open at all times.

The forwardly inclining brackets 22 will aid in projecting the drum B ina suitable forward position while maintaining its center of gravity backof the vertical line passing through the pivotal axis 21.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known tome at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications andchanges as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A concrete mixer comprising (a) a base frame,

(b) an intermediate frame,

(c) means between the frames for causing lifting and lowering movementsof the intermediate frame,

(d) linkage connecting the frames acting to move the intermediate frameforwardly and backwardly incident to lifting and lowering movements,

(e) a cradle tilt frame pivotally mounted at one end to the intermediateframe,

(f) means between the intermediate frame and the cradle for rocking thelatter about its pivotal axis, and

(g) a mixing drum rotatably carried by said cradle.

2. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which said mixing drumcomprises (h) a discharge end adjacent the pivotal axis, and

(i) a charge end adapted to move toward and from a batching supply chuteon lowering and lifting movements of the intermediate frame.

3. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising (h) amaterial delivery chute of a batching unit having a delivery endpositioned to deliver batched material to the drum in its position ofrest in the cradle with the intermediate frame in the lower position sothat as the intermediate frame is lifted the drum will be at the outsetshifted away from the supply chute and on return downward movement thelinkage will cause the charging end of the drum as it is being loweredto shift into cooperative position with respect to the chute.

4. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which said linkagecomprises (h) parallel links pivoted at spaced points to said base andintermediate frames.

5. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 4 in which the spaced points onthe two frames are (i) substantially equal in length to provide aparallelogram linkage.

6. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 4 in which the links are (i) atleast four in number with two such links at each sides of the frames.

7. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1, further comprising (h)brackets on the intermediate frame extending upwardly and forwardlytherefrom in upper portions of which said cradle frame is pivoted at endportions thereof adjacent the charging end of the drum.

8. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which the lifting andlowering means is connected between the base and intermediate frames sothat its direction of thrust in elevating the intermediate frame is in adiagonal attitude in the direction of lift and forward movement of theintermediate frame.

9. A concrete mixer as claimed in claim 1 in which said lifting andlowering means between the base and intermediate frames are hydraulicrams and the means for rocking the cradle about its pivotal axis arehydraulic rams connected between rear end portions of the intermediateframe and cradle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS WALTER A. SCHEEL,Primary Examiner.

10 R. W. JENKINS, Assistant Examiner.

1. A CONCRETE MIXER COMPRISING (A) A BASE FRAME, (B) AN INTERMEDIATEFRAME, (C) MEANS BETWEEN THE FRAMES FOR CAUSING LIFTING AND LOWERINGMOVEMENTS OF THE INTERMEDIATE FRAME, (D) LINKAGE CONNECTING THE FRAMESACTING TO MOVE THE INTERMEDIATE FRAME FORWARDLY AND BACKWARDLY INCIDENTTO LIFTING AND LOWERING MOVEMENTS,